Monday, September 6, 2010

South Africa and West Indies get their 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup underway in Delhi on February 24.

Here we look back at five classic ODIs at the ground.

Indian batting fires

Sri Lankan Roy Dias christened the Feroz Shah Kotla with a century in the first ODI played at the stadium, yet India won out comfortably in a high-scoring encounter in September 1982.

The visitors posted 277-8 from their 50 overs with Sidath Wettimuny joining the centurion in a stand of 170 for the second wicket. India made light work of their target, however, finishing their chase in the 41st over with Kris Srikkanth (95 off 66 balls) and Sandeep Patil (64 off 48 balls) leading the way.

India get back on track

India gained revenge for losing an earlier group match against Australia in the ICC Cricket World Cup 1987 with a comprehensive victory over the same opposition in Delhi.

Four half-centurions saw India reach 289-6 after being put into bat. That figure always seemed likely to test Australia and so it proved as it was unable to post any sizeable partnerships after a first-wicket stand of 88. Mohammad Azharuddin was the unlikely destroyer of the lower order with 3-19 – to go with his 54 not out – as the hosts got home by 56 runs.

Richards the unlikely bowling hero

Viv Richards has won many ODIs with his bat yet few will recall the day he destroyed India with the ball in a Nehru Cup game in October 1989.

The West Indies skipper had already posted his team's second top score – 44 – in its 196-9 total in a match reduced to 45-overs-per-side. India was well-placed in its reply on 91-2 but Richards then removed Mohinder Armanath to trigger a collapse that saw the last eight wickets fall for 85 runs.

Richards fittingly ended the match when he bowled Arshad Ayub to record the astonishing figures of 6-41 – unsurprisingly his best ODI figures - in a 20-run win.

Sri Lanka stun hosts

Sri Lanka gave notice of the flamboyant batting approach that would take them all the way to ICC Cricket World Cup glory when it defeated India by six wickets in a group match in March 1996.

India's 271-3 was underpinned by a third-wicket stand of 175 between Sachin Tendulkar (137) and Mohammad Azharuddin (72). Sri Lanka were given a flying start in their chase by openers Sanath Jayasuriya (79 off 76 balls) and Romesh Kaluwitharana (26 off 16 balls).

An unbeaten fifth-wicket stand of 131 between captain Arjuna Ranatunga (46 not out) and Hashan Tillakaratne (70 not out) then saw the team home by six wickets with eight balls to spare.

A Knight's tale

England claimed a nail-biting two-run victory over India in 2002 to begin a fightback that saw them draw a six-match ODI series.

Nick Knight (105) and Nasser Hussain (49) got their side off to a decent start in England's 271-5 with Andrew Flintoff issuing a final flourish with 52 off 39 balls.

Just 61 were needed by India in the run-chase with seven wickets in hand, only for the wickets of Sourav Ganguly (74) and Mohammad Kaif (46) to then fall in the space of four Ashley Giles deliveries. The England spinner finished with 5-57 as a late charge from Ajit Agarkar (36 off 24 balls) was not quite enough for the batting team.